43 Cubans are detained by the Border Patrol when they arrive in the Florida Keys

FLORIDA: 43 Cuban migrants were detained by the US Border Patrol on Tuesday as they pulled up on the Florida Keys’ shoreline in a small fishing boat. The party of Cubans disembarked at Marathon’s Sombrero Beach, one of the most popular destinations in the Keys. Via his social media accounts, Border Patrol chief Andrew Scharnweber said that the migrants were journeying on a wooden fishing boat that was registered in Havana. 

The schooner with the name “Habana” painted on one of its sides is depicted in the shared image; it serves as a visual testament to the perilous and difficult voyages that those who choose to leave the island in quest of better prospects in the United States must travel through.

Territory risk

This group of Cuban immigrants arrives at a time when there are more encounters and detentions of migrants at the US southern border. Recent data indicates that over 208,000 Cubans have been detained by US authorities so far in fiscal year 2024, with over 65,911 of those detentions occurring via marine crossings.

A total of 1,272 Cubans arrived by ship in August alone. Even while the numbers fall short of the all-time high of 224,607 interceptions from the fiscal year 2022, they are still a noteworthy figure that illustrates the risk and desperation that thousands of Cubans take on in their quest to enter American land.

When someone is arrested after arriving on land, there are typically dire repercussions. Migrants who successfully disembark on American territory risk an automatic deportation order, which bars them from any parole or asylum programs—as has been repeatedly warned.

Fatal Maritime crossing

The assistance received during the rescue and detention operation in Marathon has been acknowledged with thanks by the Border Patrol and other responding agencies. The authorities are still pleading with migrants not to jeopardize their lives during these perilous and frequently fatal maritime crossings.

Despite stringent detention and deportation policies, Cuban rafters have persisted in their attempt to enter the United States aboard rustic watercraft since January 2024. 24 Cubans arrived in the Florida Keys in February; some asked for asylum, while others were placed under arrest. Twenty additional rafters arrived in Florida in March, but they were apprehended and sent back home, while another group of twenty-four migrants were seized after arriving in a makeshift boat.

Fifteen rafters landed in Tavernier in April and were scheduled for deportation; fifty-two migrants were sent back to Cuba. Over the next few months, these attempts persisted. A Cuban family complained in June that rafters who arrived in Miami had stolen their boat, and 33 Cubans were arrested in July after they arrived in the Florida Keys.

Ultimately, the continuous migration dilemma was highlighted in August when a group of 23 migrants—including three minors—were taken into custody after alighting from a fishing boat. One of the most worrying topics for American authorities as well as the Cuban population both inside and outside the island is the migration crisis of Cubans to the United States.